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Terms

Appliance — Anything the orthodontist attaches to your teeth or places in your
mouth to move the teeth or change the shape of your jaws.

Archwire — A metal wire that attaches to the brackets in order to move the
teeth.

Band — A metal ring that is placed around the back molars for strength or
anchorage.

Bond (bracket) — Bonds are small metal or ceramic pieces that are attached
directly to the teeth by a tooth colored adhesive. They serve as guides to move the teeth and are where the archwire attaches. The bonds used today are much smallerand lighter than ever.

Braces — A combination of the brackets and archwires that are used to move the teeth.

Buccal tube — A small metal tube that is welded to the outside of a molar
band. This is where the end of a headgear fits.

Chain — An stretchy elastic chain that is used to hold the archwire in the
brackets and close spaces between teeth.

Crossbite — The relationship of a tooth or teeth where the upper teeth fit inside the lower teeth when biting.

Deep bite — Excessive overbite.

Elastics — Small rubber bands used during various phases of treatment that
apply a gentle but continuous force to assist with tooth movement or in aligning the jaws.

Headgear — An appliance that can be used to modify growth(correct an overbite), move teeth, or increase resistance to a force placed on the tooth.

Invisalign™ — A system using clear acrylic trays to move the teeth as an alternative to braces.

Indirect Bonding — A method for bonding orthodontic brackets to the teeth. The brackets are initially placed on a plaster model of your teeth and then the prepositioned brackets are bonded to your own teeth using an elastic transfer tray. This procedure greatly reduces the time it takes to put your braces on.

Mouthguard — A device that is used to protect your mouth from injury when participating in sports. The use of a mouthguard is especially important for orthodontic patients to prevent injuries to the teeth, lips and cheeks, and jaws.

Overbite — The vertical overlap of the upper teeth with the lower teeth. Often times, what is referred to as an overbite really is what orthodontists call overjet. See overjet.

Overjet — The horizontal projection of the upper front teeth beyond the lower front teeth.

Openbite — A lack of tooth contact when biting. This can be with the front or back teeth.

Palatal Expander — An appliance used to help widen the palate and change
the shape of the upper jaw.

Retainer — Any orthodontic appliance, fixed or removable, that is used to maintain the position of the teeth following correction.

Rubber Bands — See "Elastics".

Separator — A plastic or metal piece that is used to create space between the
teeth, usually in preparation for placing a band on a tooth.

Space Maintainer — An appliance that is used after premature loss of primary teeth to prevent the space from closing before the permanent teeth can erupt.

Tongue Thrust — Placing the tongue between the upper and lower teeth, especially in the early stages of swallowing. Combined with a resting position of the tongue between the teeth, this can move the front teeth and produce an openbite.

Wax — A soft wax temporary coating that can be used to prevent your braces from irritating the lips or cheeks.